


The little things

by Chelidona (Hobbity)



Category: Being Human (UK), The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: And Mitchell learns to deal with it, Anders is Anders, Fluff, M/M, SpringFRE2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-22 10:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18134714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobbity/pseuds/Chelidona
Summary: Mitchell learns that he has to pay attention to the little things.





	The little things

**Author's Note:**

> So I haven't written in ages and I really missed it! I might be a bit rusty but I really enjoyed writing a bit of Britchell fluff again, hope you enjoy reading!

It’s the little things. At first, Mitchell barely noticed them. He was used to people like Herrick, smooth outside, brutal interior. And to George and Annie, sweet people who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

So at first he wondered if he was right to hang around Auckland. He had been there on a work&travel visa, celebrating his being human again, being able to have a proper photo ID and seeing the world. He had chosen New Zealand because his favourite uncle had emigrated there in 1903.

Somehow this one modelling job for Anders’ PR company had led to more.

But Anders’ never said a kind word that was not directly related to Mitchell’s looks or bedroom skills.

~*~

He mentioned to Dawn at a Johnson family barbecue that he might head back to England soon.

She looked at Anders, who was on the other side of the pool arguing with his brothers, then back to Mitchell, her lips pulled tight. “I understand but - please consider staying. You are such a good influence on Anders.”

Mitchell looked in Anders’ direction. “Am I?”

“He adores you.”

Mitchell laughed so hard, the brothers quickly looked over before resuming their argument.

“He does,” Dawn insisted. “You really bring out his softer side.”

“Softer side? All he does is mock me and everything I believe in.”

She sighed. “I know. It is hard. Look for the little things.”

So Mitchell did.

~*~

A couple of days after that conversation, Anders’ came home while Mitchell was fighting with a boiling pot of tomato sauce. The moment Anders rounded the corner he burst out laughing.

“Look at yourself! How old are you again?”

“120.” Mitchell knew he should not raise to the bait, but of course he did. “I just never did much cooking.”

He winced when a speck of boiling sauce hits his face and quickly turned around to finally move the pot off the stove and cover it with a lid.

He crossed his arms when he turned back to Anders. “So you want dinner or not?”

Two days later, an apron was innocently hanging of a hook in the kitchen, as if it had always been there. The apron declared “Masterchef”. When Anders’s came home that night Mitchell asked about the apron. Anders looked up at him, eyebrows drawn high. “I always had that apron, Mitchell.”

“It is brand new.”

“I don’t do a lot of cooking.” Anders smirked. “My skills are in other areas of the house.”

Recognising an evasive manoeuvre Mitchell let himself be pulled in the bedroom.

After all, Anders was hardly exaggerating his skills in that particular area of the house.

Shortly after that Anders drove Mitchell to a fancy liquor store.

It did not escape Mitchell that just the previous day he had a conversation with Olaf about alcohol, about the alcohol brands they had enjoyed when they were younger. Mitchell may or may not have gone off a tangent and raved about decent Irish whiskey. And how at the time he was young, there were still several whiskey distilleries in Dublin. Jameson’s had since become a museum.

He did not say anything when Anders grabbed Jameson whiskey from the shelves. Anders consulted him about the other Irish whiskeys on offer and Mitchell gladly complied.

He may or may not have rewarded Anders with the best blowjob yet once they had enjoyed a tumbler of whiskey at home.

~*~

A little while later Mitchell’s visa troubles were magically resolved and he got a work permit for New Zealand. Of course, the first job he got was in a hospital though Dawn promised him to help him out finding new career paths.

The head nurse had it in for the “pretty new boy” from the beginning. The man would never stop harassing him, reprimanding him for flirting when all he had done was ask a nurse for directions.

When he complained at home, however, Anders laughed it off.

“I thought you’d be tougher at your age, Mitch. Ignore that guy, he’s just jealous. Probably got into nursing to get laid. And now you are there …”

Mitchell cocked his eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Well you could lay everyone there.”

“Are you jealous?”

Anders’ scoffed. “Please. As if any of them had anything on me.”

“Less ego.”

Mitchell let it go.

The argument made him uncomfortably aware that they had never talked about their level of commitment. Of course, Mitchell literally lived with Anders, and Anders took him to all family festivities. However. Did he still seduce his clients? Were they in a proper relationship?

Two days later, Mitchell snapped. Anders was his usual cocky self. Dismissing all of Mitchell’s concerns about his job, belittling Mitchell’s effort to redecorate the kitchen (he only wanted the space to be even a little influenced by himself) and flat out refused any suggestions Mitchell had for decoration. It all would not ‘suit the apartment’.

Mitchell closed the drawer he had been reorganising.

“You’re right. And it hardly seems worth the effort. I’ll probably be gone soon enough.”

“Gone?”

Mitchell hoped the panic was in Anders’ voice and not just in Mitchell’s imagination.

“I can get a shitty job back home,” Mitchell replied as calmly as he could. “I never planned to stay down here for that long. I wanted to find out what happened to my uncle, and I did. I found out that his great-granddaughter is working for the most arrogant PR agent in all of Auckland but seems happy enough. I’m hardly going to be bossed around here forever.”

“Dawn is happy.” Anders, of course, latched on to the least important bit of all Mitchell had said. “And working for me brought her Ty. I don’t know why Ty would make anyone happy, but apparently he has hidden depths.”

“He is a nice guy. I can see why she fell for him. Especially working for you every day.”

“I’m great to work with.”

The topic appeared to be closed.

But two days later, Anders threw him a catalog and told him to let Dawn know whatever he wanted to order.

“It’s going to look butt-ugly in here, but I don’t have the energy to fight about home decor.”

Only Mitchell had only brought it up that one time.

And a week later, Mitchell was cleaning a hallway in the hospital when the hospital manager marched the head nurse along it. Both looked furious. Curiosity getting the better of him, Mitchell followed. And saw the head nurse escorted out of the building.

When he mentioned that at home, Anders shrugged. “Yeah, I heard that it was revealed that he mocked patients on twitter. Quite a scandal, it was in the newspaper this morning.”

“Oh.”

“Do none of your colleagues read the papers?”

“Apparently not.”

Mitchell picked up the plates and brought them to the sink. The empty lasagne dish was next to it, precariously resting on top of the garish oven gloves Mitchell had ordered.

Just as he was about to pull on latex gloves to the washing, Anders’ arms sneaked around him from behind.

“Leave the dishes.”

Mitchell smiled and pressed back against Anders. “Do you want your reward?”

“What are you talking about?”

Mitchell rolled his eyes, looked up to a heaven he despised and turned around in Anders embrace.

“Stop. Seriously. I just … I just can’t pretend I am too dense to get this, okay? I can let the little things slide, but I cannot pretend that I believe it is a coincidence that dirt about Clark came to light just now. And that my … that you and Dawn have a supernatural instinct for digging up dirt.”

Anders’ hands tightened on Mitchell’s hips. “All right.” The words were clipped. “I may have mentioned to Dawn that you were upset and we may have decided that we wanted to do something about it. There was not much digging involved, incidentally. He barely hid his identity on twitter.”

“I appreciate it nonetheless.” Mitchell bent down to peck Anders’ lips.

“Thank you.” Anders bit his lip. “Dawn was quite upset when I told her you were thinking about going back to England.”

“Was she?”

“Yes. You’re her favourite relative.”

Mitchell chuckled, deciding to let it go for now. Especially because Anders hands had moved and were doing interesting things with the zipper of Mitchell’s jeans.

~*~

Of course it was Dawn’s idea to buy Mitchell flowers for his birthday. Flowers that were hard to come by in New Zealand in winter. Anders breezily asserted that it was the secretary’s job to buy presents for her boss’ boyfriend.

Of course that was the first time the word was ever spoken.

Anders did not deny that the idea of taking Mitchell out for dinner was his own.

And if more gloves magically appeared in Mitchell’s collection, nobody mentioned it.

~*~

Ty proposed to Dawn. It was not unexpected, really.

Neither was the huge barbecue that was thrown in the chilly spring air.

When it was already dark and most of Ty and Dawn’s friends had left, Mitchell and Anders sat together on the grass in their backyard watching the stars.

“So Ty is tying the knot again,” Anders remarked. “With more success hopefully.”

It was only recently that Mitchell learned about Ty’s previous marriage but he had to agree.

“I expected you to mock Ty more,” Mitchell confessed. “Marriage doesn’t seem to be your thing.”

Anders shrugged. “Nope. Is it yours?”

“I guess.” Mitchell looked up at the stars and not his boyfriend. “Being human again. I am trying to get some sense back of who I was before I was turned, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“So. Back then. When I was young. You got married. You made a commitment. Of course, all heterosexual. And plenty people cheated. So it’s not like I want things to be like they were. But even so … I expected to be married, you know. I expected to be back from the war, marry, raise kids.”

“Well.” Anders put his hand on Mitchell’s thigh. “If you insist on it, I will marry you. I don’t see the point myself, but …”

He was cut off by Mitchell’s kiss.

“I love you.” Mitchell kept pecking small kisses on Anders’ mouth. “I love you.”

Anders didn’t say anything back. But announced their engagement as soon as they were all inside with the family again. Of course. Anders would not let Ty be alone in the spotlight for long.

It were small things. Like Anders taking the load of organising the wedding off Mitchell’s shoulder even after Mitchell insisted that they would not overload Dawn. Anders paying for the plane tickets for George, Nina and Annie so they could be there.

Mitchell and Anders got married six month after Ty and Dawn.

Anders finally said the three words during their wedding night. That’s when Mitchell realised he had not needed to hear them. It were the little things. The little things that told Mitchell he was loved. The little things that made him marry the most cocky man he had ever met. And that made him confident that he would be happy being human.


End file.
